The present invention relates generally to arm positioning devices for use in the medical arts, and in particular to an arm positioning cushion that locates and supports the arm of a patient in an orientation suitable for vascular radial access procedures.
Coronary diseases remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Western societies and are treated using a number of approaches. It is often sufficient to treat the symptoms with pharmaceuticals and lifestyle modification to lessen the underlying causes of the disease. In more severe cases, however, it may be necessary to treat the coronary disease using interventional medical procedures such as cardiac catheterization. Cardiac catheterization procedures generally utilize a thin catheter passed through a major artery to access a patient's heart. In the United States, the femoral artery (near the inner thigh) is most frequently used during cardiac catheterization procedures. Recent medical advancements, however, suggest that use of the radial artery (near the wrist) is more convenient and may reduce both the length of the procedure and the risk of complications during the procedure. Despite these benefits, many doctors still remain reluctant to perform cardiac catheterization via the radial artery. One reason for this reluctance is the radial artery being smaller and more challenging to access than the femoral artery, with correspondingly smaller sheaths and different techniques being required for placing the catheter guide.
Existing equipment used for supporting and positioning the patient's arm during radial cardiac catheterization procedures have numerous drawbacks that make it difficult for doctors to perform cardiac catheterization via the radial artery. For example, existing arm support and alignment apparatus are often complicated and difficult to position around a patients body, and are therefore uncomfortable to both the patient and the physician. In addition, the existing apparatus may also be non-absorbent of the blood and other fluids which may be spilled during the procedure, contain components that are difficult to clean to current hospital standards, or cannot be easily adjusted to fit differently-sized patients.